CLIP-ings: April 5, 2013

Internet Governance

FTC v. Robocalls: The FTC announced its winners in a contest that offered $50,000 to whoever could devise the best technology for preventing robocalls from reaching consumers.

CEO Social Media Rules: The SEC now requires executives to inform investors about their social media strategies in an effort to comply with the Regulation Fair Disclosure, which regulates how companies publish material information to investors.

Privacy

EU Against Google Uni-Policy: In reaction to Google’s consolidation of 60 separate privacy policies, organizations in six EU countries are seeking legal remedies in a joint action against the search giant’s efforts to “create a goldmine at the expense of unwitting users.”

ZIP as Personal ID: In a landmark case involving a credit card consumer receiving unsolicited marketing materials based on her ZIP code, the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that ZIP codes are “personal identification information,” and that collecting such information violates state privacy statutes for which the consumer can seek legal relief.

Information Security & Cyberthreats

Scheming Skimmers In Europe: A report by anti-fraud experts has found that card-skimming devices, which appear to be legitimate credit card scanners but which illegally record and collect data, are branching out beyond traditional ATM sites to locations like parking meters and ticket kiosks.

Intellectual Property

Streaming Broadcast TV: The Second Circuit has ruled in favor of Aereo, a company that streams over-the-air television networks via the Internet, ruling that Aereo’s system does not infringe on TV networks’ broadcasting copyrights.

Digital Music Resale Illegal: A New York federal court ruled that it is illegal for the music service ReDigi to allow customers to resell mp3 files, dealing a blow to the first sale doctrine’s application to digital content.

Free Expression & Censorship

Saudi Censoring: The Saudi Arabian government asked telecom companies for ways to block popular Internet services, particularly Twitter, which allow for anonymous communications, preferring that those sites require users to register with official identification documents.